Torn and frayed

“I’m sorry it had to come to this but it’s the only way to keep you out of our sight,” a devil said in a way that showed she wasn't feeling the slightest remorse. Dean tried to speak through the fabric around his mouth but the only thing that came out was a desperate mumble. Dean felt another fist in his stomach which made him cough and tear up in pain as it was already bruised. Whenever he’d healed, it only motivated them to create a worse wound. The silver chains were burning his skin, preventing him from turning. He heard some voices outside the container talk about how they’d just emptied it from contraband and needed to send it back to Africa. “Let's tap his blood and get out of here,” she said to the other devil present while Deans eyes landed on some equipment that looked like it belonged in a hospital. “Alpha blood is rare to find but it gives me such a high,” he said with an evil smile as he stared at Dean and he got the sense that he was addicted to werewolf blood. He readied the equipment and stuck a needle into Dean’s arm. Dean looked straight in front of him to the opening of the container before his dizziness took over and everything turned black.

The devil was too focused on getting the werewolves’ blood to really bother noticing whoever stepped inside the container. That was until she came over to him and yanked the needle out of the wolf. “C’mon really?” he asked as he didn’t see why that was necessary. However, he just nodded to her command as he’d already gotten enough. “I was just on my way out,” he said before packing the supplies away and heading out.  
When Dean woke up he started to panic at the sight of a shut door, afraid that he was already on the freighter. That's when he noticed Vanessa being in there with him and he narrowed him his eyes in confusion. She hadn't been there earlier, he would've recognized her scent, so why was she here now? Either way he couldn't help but be happy to see her. “Vanessa. Please,” he begged but wasn’t sure she’d understand him. He looked down at his body, at his frayed clothes and the chains that were digging into his skin. Then he realized perhaps she wasn’t here to save him. He was still unable to move. He looked at her face, trying to read her intentions, despite that not being possible without touching her. He knew that she’d gone against her father once before to save him and hoped she’d be willing to do the same now.

Avoiding his eye contact didn’t exactly put him at ease and it wasn't necessarily a good sign that the voices he’d once heard seemed to fade further away. He had no choice but listen to her, seeing that he was tied to a chair and locked in a container but he hoped that she had good news. He shook his head slightly and was clearly conflicted. Was she serious? Perhaps going on that ship was the only way to escape. He didn’t know if they had any plans upon his arrival in Africa and that probably scared him the most. He looked down at his elbow when she placed his hand there and he immediately sensed that something was different about her. He looked up at her when she said he was an Alpha. For a moment he suspected that it was about his decision to stay in Gaia, taking up territory from others but he’d never gotten any threats about it so it seemed unlikely. He raised an eyebrow at her and his face was a big question mark, hoping that she'd elaborate.

He’d expected her to know some part of her father’s wicked plan but all that mattered was that she was here to help him. She was right to assume that he thought she worked for him because she was here, probably at the will of her father and if he was anything like his own, he wanted Vanessa to live up to her reputation. He breathed out when she assured him that she wasn’t. He was happy that she finally removed the chains from his body, making him take in a deep breath as his strength came back. “Thank you,” he said, right after she’d removed the fabric around his mouth. “But you don’t have to do this,” he assured her. “It’s not going to be easy to help me without making it obvious that you are behind it so I’ll do what I can to make it seem that way. You've already risked so much for me,” he said and knew that he would do anything to prevent it from happening, whatever the cost. “Do you know when the ship is leaving?” he asked before looking down at the restraints on his wrists. If he had enough time to heal, he probably could try to get free by turning into his wolf form. Although there were probably other reasons for why she said they had to leave with the ship. He moved his glance to look at Vanessa sitting down by the wall. “Also I’m pretty sure your father’s wicked plan is to kill me,” he said as a response to her previous sentence. He'd done it before so it seemed obvious, although he badly hoped he was wrong.

When he said she didnt have to do this, she scoffed. Of course she had to, it was wrong in every sense. She knew it was going on and just letting it happen without a single effort to stop it, just made her feel like she was partakking in the way her father wanted her to. And she would do anything to defy him if the chance was there. “Dont worry about me. The perk of being Samuel Prideux’s only offspring is that he couldnt ever kill me,” she said with a little sad smile. Sometimes she didnt really feel like she was his daughter but just a mere formable mold, tossed and turned to suit whatever cruel intent Samuel had for her.
“We’re not gonna stay on it for long. Neither of us are going to Africa today,” she mumbled as she picked up her phone and started tapping some messages at a high speed. She’d be damned to let her father ruin more lives than kecessary. Whatever Samuel had against Dean, it had shown to be something more than just anger - Samuel wouldnt just ship off someone he wanted dead to Africa. She searched her mind for reasons, but none of them made sense. She sat down with her phone, looking up as Dean spoke, “Nah. You’d be dead by now,” she mumbled as she rubbed her temple, sighing deeply. She got a message back and slipped her phone back in her pocket. “Do you trust me Dean?” She asked as she looked at the door, trying to work out some masterplan in her mind. She could hear the people outside talk in wonder about what was going on in there, she pushed herself to her feet as she shook her head, “I dont want to hurt you but I might have to,” she said in a low tone as she looked down on her hands. She wasnt very good at handling violence, but if the people outside let their suspicions rise too high, they would be caught faster than anticipated. She sighed deeply and clenched her fists. “Hit me,” she mumbled, before she looked up at him with serious eyes.

Her sentence about being the only offspring was something Dean related to. His eyes were sad and regardless of what she told him, he’d still be worried about her. He tried to follow her plan of not staying on the ship for long, but it was hard to imagine what they'd do after escaping onto some rescue boat.
Nah. You’d be dead by now. She said it like it was so natural that he almost smiled. “You’re right. Honestly, it’s probably something worse,” he said in a low voice. His expression remained stoic as he thought about the countless scenarios, none of which ended happily. She seemed to have messaged someone, but he didn’t get the connection to that and the question she asked next. He raised a confused eyebrow, not to the question but rather the purpose of it. “Yes,” he answered. He didn’t trust many people but he knew that Vanessa had good intentions and even if he had his doubts, he didn't exactly have much of a choice. He nodded to the next thing she said. It was understandable, especially seeing that someone outside suggested to go in and check on them. However, he didn’t expect what she said next. His lips pulled apart as he was about to object, but remembering what she'd just asked he knew that he needed to let go and trust her idea. Dean closed his eyes, focusing on the one task ahead. “Okay,” he said as he opened his glowing red eyes. He looked calm at her, hoping that she trusted him as well. If the others came in, the situation would quickly spiral out of control. He started to push his arms up against the lock of the restraints, using all his strength to get free and at last he roared when his strength destroyed the lock. As an alpha it felt great to regain the power and get out of the submissive state. He swiftly hit her across the face, giving her a scratch caused by his claws. The outsiders were trying to get in, but the metal rod kept them at bay for now.

He tipped his head when she mouthed perfect. All he could do now was trust and support her plan. He couldn’t see much of what was going on, but it didn’t exactly calm his beastly side, making it hard not to transform and instead change back to his human self. That's until he walked out to the sight of lifeless bodies around him. “Well done,” he said and finally extracted his claws while his eye color changed back to his dark brown. He quickly followed her towards the boat, listening to what she had to say. “I see,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ll do about any favor to end the conflict between us,” he said. “I trust that you know your father so I'll go along with it… I want it to be clear that I have no interest in interfering with anything he’s up to,” he said and sighed as he looked at the ferry in front of them. “I’ve learned my lesson,” he said in a low voice. He'd done everything he could to avoid trouble regarding demons and the criminal underworld of Gaia. Avoiding Southside altogether, because he knew that it was close to impossible for him not to stand up for his morals if he had the chance.
He stopped walking to hide behind some cargo, awaiting two sailors to pass them. Afterwards he snuck on board the boat, making sure to go as quiet and unnoticed as possible. He moved along the wall, keeping his head low from any windows. Then he walked inside a door and moved downstairs, leading them into a lower deck. “We should probably get some supplies if we are leaving before it docks,” he said and looked at Vanessa. He was truly grateful for her choosing to stay and help him. "And Vanessa... thank you for what you did back there," he said as a sincere smile crossed his face for just a moment before he looked away and continued down the hallway.